More than 2,000 members of the armed forces and volunteers held Poppy Appeal collections on 7 November around the capital.

Royal Navy, Army and RAF personnel took part in collections at locations in the capital including 80 Tube and train stations.

The Royal British Region said it was the largest street collection of its kind ever held in the UK.

Canary Wharf Docklands Light Railway station generated the most donations, with commuters giving more than £62,500. Collectors at Waterloo Station raised £55,000, £54,000 was donated at Heathrow Terminal 5, £41,000 at Liverpool Street Station, £39,000 at Covent Garden and £35,000 at Victoria.

The Royal British Legion said tales of great generosity emerged from the day, such as the office worker who had no change to buy a poppy, so withdrew £300 from a cashpoint to put in the appeal bucket.

Poppy fundraisers collected more than £3,000 in less than 20 minutes at a City insurance firm by selling more than 150 sets of poppy cufflinks. Some were sold on the trading floors of Canary Wharf for more than £150 a pair.

Famous names who took part in events to promote the day included the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Prime Minister, David Cameron, the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, and contestants in this year’s Strictly Come Dancing television show, including Fiona Fullerton and Anton Du Beke.

Charles Byrne, director of fundraising at the Royal British Legion, said: "The generosity of the people of London has been overwhelming. We are so grateful to all those who donated, plus all those who gave up their time to volunteer – London Poppy Day wouldn’t have been possible without them."

The 2012 Poppy Appeal raised £36.9m. A spokeswoman said the total amount raised this year would not be known until early 2014, but it was going well.

- This story was amended on 18 November 2013 to correct the figure given for last year's Poppy Appeal total, which originally said it was £42.8m.

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